By Your Side
by Thiswouldbeakick
Summary: 'Elizabeth sat up a little straighter and that was when she saw him. Her heart immediately skipped a few beats and fear gripped at her throat'. After the Hingham Bridge explodes, Darcy is left gravely injured and fighting for his life. Bit AU for the movie, but mostly filling in missing scenes. Contains some spoilers for the movie. Multi-chapted fic. Please R and R.
1. Chapter 1

To her right she saw the first blast go off and she felt the air shake with its force.  
Bingley had clearly given the command to blow up the Hingham Bridge, like he was instructed to do, but Elizabeth and Darcy were never going to make it across in time.

"Come on!" Elizabeth urged the horse in a desperate and final attempt to reach the other side before the final explosion would tear the bridge apart and cut them off from the world inhabited by the living.  
Elizabeth felt Darcy's arms tighten around her waist and his chest press tighter against her back. The man, sitting behind her on the horse, must realize as well how dire their situation was and that they were running out of time.  
"Come on! Faster!" Elizabeth urged the horse again, but as one of the explosives in front of them went off, she knew they were not going to make it. She saw the stones of the bridge's foundation begin to fall from underneath them and felt the horse loose its footing. Elizabeth gasped audibly, realizing all of a sudden that this could very well be the end of their lives.

"Jump!" Darcy's voice sounded loudly in Elizabeth's ears and she felt a strong yank at her waist. With all her might she jumped off the horse and flung herself forward into empty space. She did not know where it would lead here, she could only hope that it would eventually bring her and Darcy into safety.

One final, major explosion sent debris flying in every direction. Elizabeth felt Darcy's hands being ripped from her waist as the two of them were separated by the force of the blast and the debris. Visibility was down to zero now because of all the smoke and dust, making it impossible to orientate.  
Suddenly Elizabeth felt herself collide heavily with the remains of the bridge and that was when her whole world went black…

* * *

There was the urge to breath. A great urge. Like she hadn't breathed in a while.

Elizabeth gulped in a lungful of oxygen, but immediately coughed it all out again due to the smoke and dust that still clung to the air.  
She realized that she had been knocked unconscious for a little while by the harsh landing and carefully opened her eyes. Elizabeth was lying on her back on the remains of the bridge, with fires and debris all around her. For a moment she lay still, taking gulping breaths and allowing the worst pain of the fall to reside.

Somehow she and Darcy had managed to get across the exploding bridge far enough to prevent them from being completely blown apart or landing at the bottom of the Royal Canal. It had been narrowly and certainly not without mortal danger, but anything was better than to be mauled by zombies on the wrong end of the bridge.  
Elizabeth estimated that she was fairly uninjured. That last explosion and the flying debris had left its mark on her here and there, but it could all have been a lot worse. But what about Darcy? She heard no other signs of life near her, apart from the crackling of several fires. Had the nobleman gone down with the Hingham Bridge? Had he made sure that she would survive and perished himself?

Elizabeth carefully rolled onto her side and propped herself up on one elbow to have a look around.  
At first she saw only debris and nothing that even remotely resembled a person. Could it be that one of the heavy stones of the bridge had crushed Darcy and robbed him of his life?  
Elizabeth sat up a little straighter and that was when she saw him. Her heart immediately skipped a few beats and fear gripped at her throat.  
"Oh no…" she meant to speak the words, but they left her throat with minimum volume, leaving it nothing more than a movement of her lips rather than spoken words.

There, a couple of yards away from her, lay Darcy. He laws lying on his stomach, faced turned away from Elizabeth and clearly not moving.

With a heavy heart, Elizabeth got up on all fours and hastily crawled over to Darcy. He was still covered by small parts of debris and dust, so she knew he had not moved at all since their fall. This did not predict much good for the state he was in…

Elizabeth finally sat down next to Darcy. The part of his face that she could see was covered in dirt and dust, and was littered with small cuts.  
"Mr. Darcy?" Elizabeth's voice sounded broken and tearful, something she never would have believed her voice would ever sound like. No response whatsoever came from Darcy, not even the slightest twitch of a finger.

It was hard to even determine whether or not Darcy was still breathing. Elizabeth reached for the man's left shoulder and carefully rolled him onto his back. She cradled his head in her hands to make sure he would not hurt it on the stones he lay on. One of her hands was immediately covered in blood, which came from a nasty cut to his head just above his right ear. The wound was undoubtedly caused by one of the explosions that destroyed the bridge.  
The sight of the blood and the wound quite scared Elizabeth. Also none of Darcy's strong muscles gave resistance to her touching him or rolling him over, which was nothing like him for as far as she could tell.  
Even from this close Elizabeth could still not visually determine if Darcy was breathing. She brought her face very close to his nose and mouth and felt for any signs of a breath. There it was. It was very faint, but Elizabeth definitely felt a warm breath of his on her face.

Elizabeth took a shuddering breath in relief, realizing that Darcy was actually still alive. His condition was certainly still worrying her, but at least for now he lived. She did not know for how long he would be able to cling onto life and if those mysterious dark-brown eyes would ever stare into hers again.

Suddenly Elizabeth felt tears sting in her eyes and a feeling washed over her that she had never felt before. It was love. Love in its most strong and cruel way. Love that was threatening to shatter right here before her eyes and in her arms.  
Elizabeth allowed the tears to fall now, some spilling onto Darcy's face.  
"The very first moment I beheld you" she said softly and tearfully, bringing her face close to his again "my heart was irrevocably gone".  
She was certain Darcy could not hear here, but she still felt the desperate need to say this to him. A feeling that had been bothering her for so long, her true feelings for him, and to which she finally dared to surrender herself.

Elizabeth bent forward and placed a loving kiss on Darcy's lips to seal her words. She had half hoped that this would lead to some sort of response from him, but Darcy stayed utterly still.

"N-No…" the first real sob now escaped Elizabeth. She wrapped her hands around Darcy's torso and rested her head on his chest, crying softly into the leather of his long coat. The sound of his sluggishly beating heart beneath her ear and the faint rise and fall of his chest under her cheek, somewhat eased Elizabeth, but she knew Darcy was in desperate need of the care of a physician.  
"Don't abandon me" she whispered through her tears, "not now. I will lead you through this. I'll be by your side"… 

* * *

**Thank you for reading. The next chapter will be up as soon as possible.  
** **Please make a writer happy and leave a review. All are highly appreciated :-)  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Thanks for all the follows favs and lovely reviews! :D  
** **So, here is the second chapter. The next one will be up again as soon as possible. Still all reviews, favs and follows are highly appreciated ;-)**

* * *

"Lizzy!" Jane's voice sounded shrill and panicked in the air. Elizabeth heard her sister long before she could see her.  
"Jane!" She called back.

Finally two running figures emerged from the smoke. Jane came running in Elizabeth's direction, followed closely by Bingley.  
"Lizzy, are you alright?!" Jane fell to her knees next to Elizabeth and looked her sister deep in the eyes, while cupping her face in her hands.  
"Yes, I-I'm fine" Elizabeth stammered. The tears had stopped falling now, but the traces of it were still visible on her cheeks. She was still in shock, but did her best to keep her composure.

"Good heavens, Darcy…" Bingley looked down on his unconscious friend with a horrified expression on his face.  
"He isn't… dead… is he?" Bingley continued timidly.  
"No, but he is hurt" Elizabeth answered, "he requires the immediate care of a physician".  
"Right" Bingley collected himself somewhat again, "I shall ask for the field medic to attend to him".  
"No" Elizabeth said resolutely, awakening suddenly from her shock. Both Jane and Bingley stared at her in astonishment.  
"Lizzy!" Jane said warningly, indicating that her sister had gone too far, "Mr. Bingley only means…"  
"The field medic is mostly only required to ease the passing of his patients" Elizabeth interrupted her sister, "and I will not allow Mr. Darcy to die".  
"What do you propose we do then?" Jane asked, slightly offended.  
"We shall take him to Rosings" Elizabeth said determinedly. Her words were not directed at Jane anymore, but at Mr. Bingley now.

Bingley did not answer immediately, but seemed to ponder over Elizabeth's proposal. Jane simply stared at him for a response she herself did not dare to give.  
"Alright" he finally said, "I'll arrange a wagon to take you there and I'll send a rider ahead to inform them at Rosings Park of your imminent arrival".  
"Thank you" Elizabeth answered gratefully.

Bingley left the two women and the stricken man behind to search for a wagon that could fulfil the task of getting Darcy to Rosings.

"My heavens" Jane said when she had a better look at Darcy, "he's in bad shape, isn't he?"  
Darcy still had not moved a muscle since Elizabeth had found him. His breathing was far from strong and the right side of his face was covered in blood from his head-wound.  
"Don't say it" Elizabeth whispered darkly. Jane had a better look at her sister and for the first time really noticed the tearstains on Elizabeth's face and the redness of her eyes.  
"Oh, Lizzy" she said softly, fully forgetting the disagreement with her sister from a moment ago, "I never realized you love him so dearly!" Jane sounded genuinely surprised.  
"I was not aware that it had happened either" Elizabeth answered, "but apparently it did…".  
"We will save him" Jane assured her sister, "have faith".

* * *

The sound of hooves announced Bingley's return. He had succeeded in finding a flat, open wagon which was pulled by two black horses. Elizabeth immediately knew that this particular wagon was used to reclaim dead bodies from the battlefield. For now, however, no matter how macabre, it would have to do for their transport.

Some large pieces of debris made that the horses were not able to get very close. They had to halt and wait about a 100 metres from where Elizabeth and Darcy had hit the ground. Bingley and four soldiers on foot came running in their direction. The soldiers looked down in shock, for they too recognized their stricken colonel.

"My apologies" Bingley said, "we cannot come any closer because of the debris. We will have to carry him to the wagon".  
Elizabeth stared at Darcy's unconscious face. Carrying him to the wagon would definitely not be ideal for his injuries, but she knew there really wasn't much of an alternative.  
"Alright…" she finally whispered.

As if Elizabeth's agreement was the order they had been waiting for, the four soldiers stepped forward and positioned themselves to lift the stricken man off the ground.

Elizabeth rose to her feet too, as Darcy was lifted up by the soldiers.  
"Mind his head" she commented. Elizabeth caught Bingley's gaze, who looked at her with a much-understanding twinkle in his eyes. He, undoubtedly, realized Elizabeth's feelings towards Darcy now.  
"Not to worry. Miss Bennet" he said to her, "the most excellent care will be available for him at Rosings. I will make sure of that".  
"Thank you" Elizabeth answered, not forgetting her etiquette, "you're a good man, Mr. Bingley". And with a small bow she left him.

* * *

Getting Darcy onto the wagon was less problematic than Elizabeth had anticipated. The four soldiers were being incredibly careful in handling the man and lay him gently on the wagon.  
Elizabeth clambered in after they were done and positioned herself at Darcy's head, so she could keep a close eye on his condition. She covered him with a blanket to keep him warm and placed a folded up blanket under his head and neck.

The passengers were barely loaded, before the driver urged the horses into a trot.  
"Jane?" Elizabeth called out uncertainly, for her sister had not boarded the wagon.  
"I'm sorry, Lizzy" she said, "Mr. Bingley has lots of affairs to clear up here. I am staying here to assist him, but I will join you as soon as I can at Rosings".  
Elizabeth's heart sank at the thought that her sister would be coming along for the ride, but knew that Jane was right in staying behind.  
"Be careful" she said just loud enough for Jane to hear her.

The horses picked up speed and gradually took Elizabeth further away from her sister, until a turn in the road separated them completely.

* * *

The ride to Rosings would take about half a day. The weather was cloudy and it looked like it might rain anytime soon, but at least for now it was still dry.  
The driver urged the horses to go at near top-speed, to reach their destination as soon as possible.

Elizabeth did not pay much attention to the surroundings, but only had eyes for Darcy. If the light fell on his face in a certain way, she could see a vain throbbing in his neck. A sure sign for her that he had not given up the fight for life just yet.  
Other than that, Darcy's complexion had gone alarmingly pale and his breathing had gotten somewhat uneven now. Every now and then a breath would hitch in his chest and a soft moan would escape him then. Occasionally a tremor would run through his body, as if he was being stabbed. These were all signs that his condition was anything but stable and that he was certainly not out of danger.  
The wound to the side of his head was still bleeding sluggishly, although the worst of it seemed to have subsided. Even though she could not see it, Elizabeth was sure that more injuries were hiding underneath Darcy's coat and clothes, but those would be for the physician to determine and treat.

When a particularly nasty tremor rocked Darcy's body, Elizabeth took one of his hands in hers. With her other hand she gently stroked his hair.  
"It alright" she whispered to him, bringing her face close to his, "calm down, I'm here with you. We're getting you the best help there is, don't worry".  
Elizabeth lovingly planted a kiss on Darcy's forehead. "Stay with me, my love" she whispered, and for the tiniest moment she felt his fingers twitch in her hand, and she knew he had heard her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for all the favs, follows and reviews. Apologies for the long wait on this next chapter... The chapter after this will be up sooner (promise ;-))  
** **Have fun with this chapter and still: all reviews are highly appreciated!**

* * *

The ride to Rosings took a little over half a day. The sun had already started to go under by the time the wagon reached the estate.  
During the ride Darcy had not moved or woken up once. Apart from the occasional twitch or tremble, he lay completely unmoving. His breathing was still uneven at best.

Elizabeth was relieved when she saw the Rosings mansion come into view. Help was near now.

The driver never slowed his horses down as they drove up the lane that led to the entrance of the mansion, and the guards of the Black Guard never attempted to stop them.  
The rider that Bingley had sent ahead had clearly done his job: Rosings was expecting the injured Mr. Darcy.

The wagon halted in front of the large doors of the mansion, where several members of the Black Guard and a physician were awaiting the announced arrival. The driver abruptly halted the horses and the wagon came to a skidding stop.  
"Welcome back, Ms. Bennet" one of the Black Guards approached the wagon and offered his hand to help Elizabeth disembark.  
"Thank you" Elizabeth answered politely and accepted the hand offered to her, "but, please, help him". She indicated Darcy.  
"Naturally, Miss" the guard said and signalled two of his co-workers to come into action.

The two guards climbed onto the wagon and effortlessly lifted Darcy up and carried him inside. The physician followed them closely, clearly in a hurry to start attending to his patient.

Elizabeth watched the scene silently and made to follow them inside, when she was interrupted by her mother.  
"Oh, Lizzy!" Mrs. Bennet shrieked quite hysterically as she came running out of the mansion, "we believed we had lost you! Are you alright, darling?!"  
Mrs. Bennet grabbed her daughter's face and looked deep into Elizabeth's eyes, as if she was hoping to see that Elizabeth's soul was truly still inside there.  
"Mother, I'm fine" Elizabeth replied, "please, I need to make sure Mr. Darcy is alright".  
"No" Mrs. Bennet answered firmly, "you need to rest. You look terrible".  
"Yes, thank you" Elizabeth answered sarcastically, "let go of me".  
"Lizzy" Mrs. Bennet held on stubbornly to her daughter in an attempt to persuade her into different thoughts.  
"Now" Elizabeth growled menacingly. Mrs. Bennet stared shocked at her daughter, but finally let go and Elizabeth hurried inside.

* * *

Elizabeth found that Darcy had been taken to one of the many large bedrooms of the estate.  
The physician was already attending to him when Elizabeth quietly entered. She recognized the physician, for it was the same man that had attended to Jane when she had fallen ill.  
"Miss Bennet" the physician said by way of greeting. He sat hunched over Darcy's head and was inspecting the wound there.  
"Good evening, doctor" Elizabeth answered politely. She sat down in a chair next to the bed and watched the man work.  
"They tell me that you have more information on what happened to this young man?" the physician said without taking his eyes off Darcy's injury.  
"Yes" Elizabeth answered hesitantly.  
"Would you care to elaborate, Miss Bennet?" the physician continued.

Elizabeth suddenly found it difficult to speak. Reliving the events and facing what had actually happened to them both fell heavy on her.  
"We… were on the bridge…" she started hesitantly, "the Hingham Bridge, that is". The physician hummed and nodded encouragingly to her.  
"We were almost on the other side when they blew it up" Elizabeth continued, her voice getting smaller with every word she uttered. "We fell… and were hit by rubble. I-I must have blacked out, cause there is a void in my memories…" Elizabeth was close to crying now, "the next thing I remember is finding him. He wasn't moving and… there was so much blood on his face…" Elizabeth fell silent.  
"He hasn't been awake once since his fall?" The physician asked. Elizabeth silently shook her head.  
"Thank you, Miss Bennet" the physician said sincerely.

* * *

There was silence in the room for a while.  
"Will you help me, Miss Bennet?" The physician suddenly asked.  
"Certainly. How can I be of help?" Elizabeth answered.  
"His coat needs removing" the physician said, "I need to inspect his chest and back for injuries". Elizabeth did not actually speak the words, but her face showed silent agreement.

The physician very carefully pushed Darcy into a sitting position. It went quite easily, since the unconscious man was completely limp.  
"I need you to prevent him from falling over" the physician said. Elizabeth sat down on the edge of the bed Darcy lay on, and placed her hands on his chest to keep him steady. She allowed him to fall forward just enough, so his head was resting on her shoulder. He hands were still placed on his chest and she could feel his breathing. The rise and fall of his chest beneath her fingers was still a bit uneven and his body felt a bit too warm through his shirt. The breath of his exhales landed on her shoulder, which was a comforting feeling. A feeling that truly confirmed to her that he was in there.

The long, leather coat was carefully removed by the physician, which left Darcy in his white shirt. The absence of bloodstains on the white fabric at least meant that he did not suffer any cuts or lacerations to his torso.

The physician carefully examined Darcy's back by pressing and feeling all the bones and muscles. Elizabeth watched him in silent anticipation. At one point, somewhere halfway down Darcy's left side, the physician's fingers lingered a little longer and his brow furrowed into a crease. Elizabeth was on the verge of inquiring about that when the physician already spoke to her.  
"He has most likely cracked at least two ribs on this side" he said, "I am not too concerned about this, but it will be a bother to him when he regains consciousness. Fractures like these are lengthy injuries".  
Elizabeth swallowed hard. The idea of Darcy being in pain did not sit well with her.  
"Anything else?" she asked.  
"Not on this side" the physician answered, "alright, lie him back down".

Elizabeth did what was asked of her. She gently pushed Darcy away from her and placed a hand behind his head for support. The physician carefully supported Darcy's back and together, he and Elizabeth, lay him back down on the bed.  
The physician repeated his pressing and feeling now on Darcy's chest and shoulders. Again his brow furrowed around one point, this time Darcy's left collar bone.  
"Definitely another fracture here" he said. Elizabeth sighed miserably at this news of yet another injury.

"What can you do for him?" Elizabeth asked after the physician had fully concluded his examination.  
"The fractures to his ribs and collar bone are not life-threatening and will mend on their own. He will have to keep rest for a while and these injuries will surely be a bother to him for some time. Once he wakes up, his arm will have to be put in a sling until that collar bone is fully mended. Other than that, those injuries should fully mend".  
"Alright" Elizabeth's voice sounded small, "and the wound to his head?"  
"That is most worrying to me" the physician answered, "it is most definitely the reason he has not regained consciousness yet, which can be a sign of internal trauma". A chill ran down Elizabeth's spine when she heard these words.  
"Can you treat it?" She asked carefully.  
"Only time will tell" the physician answered, "for now it is adamant that the wound does not get infected. I will rinse it now and that will have to be repeated twice a day. I will show you how to do it".  
"Will he be alright?" Elizabeth finally asked. This was, without a doubt, the most important question she wanted to ask.  
"He has a chance if you take good care of him" the physician answered, "and I have faith in you that you will".


	4. Chapter 4

**So, this will be the penultimate chapter. Just one more to go after this... I hope you're all still enjoying the story.  
** **Have fun with this next chapter and still, all reviews are highly appreciated ;-)**

* * *

It had been five days and five nights since Darcy had been brought to Rosings and, still, he had not woken up or shown any other signs of life once.

Elizabeth had never left his room. She refused to leave the room even for a minute until she had looked into Darcy's eyes again and seen for herself that he was going to be alright. Even if she had to sit there for weeks, she would wait.

The first two days her mother had begged her to join the others at least during meals, but Elizabeth had refused every time. Mrs. Bennet had then sent in Mr. Bennet to try and change Elizabeth's mind and even Parson Collins after that, but all was to no avail.  
Finally Mrs. Bennet ceased her attempts of coaxing her daughter into leaving Darcy's side and had switched to bringing her food instead. This way she knew that Elizabeth was at least eating something.

The other Bennet-sisters who were staying at Rosings were bringing Elizabeth books from the library and sometimes came in to sit with her and have conversations in hushed voices.  
And so Elizabeth spent her days: reading and waiting for Darcy to wake up, alternated now and then by cleaning or sharpening weaponry.

The physician came back daily to check up on his patient.  
Every day he voiced again that he still had faith in Darcy's recovery. Elizabeth valued his words and expertise, but she did start to worry in what state Darcy would be when he woke up. Would he still be the same man? Or would he experience any permanent physical damage from the wounds he sustained?  
Elizabeth tried not to think of it, but she found that these thoughts wandered through her mind more and more often. All she could do for now, was hope and pray and wait…

* * *

It was the evening of the sixth day since the destruction of the Hingham Bridge. The physician had just left, telling Elizabeth yet again that Darcy would probably wake up soon.  
Elizabeth found the physician a nice man, but she did slightly start to question those words. Something she would never admit to anyone else.

A soft knock on the door broke the silence in the room.  
"Come in" Elizabeth called to whoever was on the other side of the door.  
"Are you decent, Miss Bennet?" Bingley's voice sounded as the door was opened a crack.  
"Of course she is!" Jane's voice came before Elizabeth could answer, "otherwise she would not have called you in!".  
The door swung open completely and revealed Jane and Mr. Bingley.

"Janey!" Elizabeth jumped up from her chair and ran over to her sister. They pulled each other into a tight hug, glad to be together again.  
"When did you get here?" Elizabeth asked her sister as she released her embrace.  
"Just now" Jane answered, "we had a lot of things to arrange after the Hingham Bridge fell".  
"I know" Elizabeth said softly.  
"Are you alright, Lizzie?" Jane asked, looking intensely at her sister now.  
"Yes, I'm fine" Elizabeth answered, "some bruise from the fall, but those will heal in time".

"Is he…?" Bingley's voice suddenly sounded from the other end of the room. Elizabeth and Jane turned around to look at him. The young man stood frozen up beside the bed, staring down at his best friend. The look on his face was one of utter horror and shock.  
"Will he be… alright?" Bingley finally finished.  
"The physician reckons he will" Elizabeth answered solemnly, "but there is no way to know for sure".  
"He has not woken up once since it happened?" Bingley continued sadly.  
"No" Elizabeth was hesitant with her answer, but knew that ultimately the truth was best.

Bingley kept staring motionlessly at his friend for a few more seconds. He tried to keep up his physique, but it was quite obvious that inside he was falling apart.  
"Oh Lord!" I should never have given the order to set off the charges on the bridge!" Bingley suddenly cried out miserably and buried his face in his hands.  
"You had no choice" Elizabeth said comfortingly, "the whole country would have been overrun by zombies had you not blown up that bridge!"  
"But I nearly killed you and I might have actually succeeded in killing my best friend" Bingley said softly. Elizabeth walked over to him and stood next to him.  
"He's not dead" she said determinedly, "and neither will he die". She tried to look Bingley in the eye, but he avoided her gaze.  
"I pray he wakes up" Bingley finally whispered, "because I do not know what I would do to myself if he doesn't". He turned swiftly on his heels and almost ran out of the room.

Elizabeth slowly turned around to face her sister, who had remained on the other side of the room.  
"You should be with him" she said to Jane, "he seems to be burdened by this".  
"I probably should be with him" Jane answered, "good night, Lizzie".  
"Good night, Janey" Elizabeth answered softly.  
Jane quietly left the room and pulled the door closed behind her.

Elizabeth was once again left alone with Darcy. The evening was growing very late now and darkness had fully set in outside.  
Elizabeth knew she had to get some sleep. She pulled the curtains closed and blew out all the candles in the room, except for the one right next to the bed.  
She sat down in the armchair by the bed, her sleeping place for the past five nights and it would be again for the coming night. Her back ached from sleeping in that chair and she quite longed for a real bed, but that would mean she had to leave Darcy alone in this room. Something she was definitely not going to do.

Elizabeth blew out the final candle and pulled a blanket over herself, ready for another night's sleep in this room.

* * *

It was completely dark and Elizabeth found she could not fall asleep. Her back hurt too much and she could just not get comfortable in the armchair this night. She sat up miserably and stared ahead in the darkness. The light of the full moon outside sent in just enough light for her to see Darcy's unmoving silhouette and the edge of the bed.

A crazy thought entered her mind when staring at the bed in front of her. No, she really could not do that. It was not prudent. On the other hand, why not? The bed was built for two persons….

A fresh wave of back-pain eventually made up Elizabeth's mind.  
She quietly got to her feet and shuffled to the other side of the bed, trailing her blanket behind her.  
Elizabeth carefully climbed onto the bed and curled up at the end of it. She positioned herself as far away from Darcy as possible, making sure that she was in no way touching him, since she wasn't quite sure this was allowed.

When she was sure her position was prudent, Elizabeth closed her eyes and immediately fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.

* * *

The first thing he felt was a nagging pain. It spread across his head, shoulder and along the left side of his torso. It wasn't an unbearable pain, but definitely constantly present and enough to cause discomfort.

Darcy was still caught between unconsciousness and being awake. It was a dreamlike state, in which the mind works, but doesn't consciously register the thoughts.

Darcy's mind provided him with memories. Images of himself riding a horse with Elizabeth, racing across the Hingham Bridge as loud explosions predicted the bridge's faith. The realization dawned on him that they were not going to make it to the other side in time.  
Right now, he did not care for himself anymore, all that mattered was Elizabeth. She needed to survive, she needed to be alright.  
He pushed her aside, off the horse, and threw himself forward. Getting hit by the debris was inevitable for Elizabeth too, but Darcy knew that this way he would catch the worst of it instead of her. It was a sacrifice he made instinctively, but with whole his heart and with full conviction.

The last charge set off as they were riding past it and indeed debris soared all around them. Darcy felt his hands slip off Elizabeth's waist and felt sharp pain at multiple points across his body. He slid off the horse, smoke and dust enveloped him as the ground came rapidly closer. Certainly not predicting a forgiving landing. Those were his last memories of what had happened and he must have lost consciousness soon after that.

There were no images in his mind anymore now, only a voice. Elizabeth's voice, declaring her love to him. It spread a feeling of warmth and hope through him. Did this mean she was alright?  
"…. Elizabeth…" the mumbled words escaped Darcy's lips without him actually realizing it.

Why wasn't she responding to him? Why had she stopped talking? Was she hurt or in danger?  
Darcy groaned softly and slightly rolled his head. Still, Elizabeth's voice or the feeling of her presence did not return to him. He started to panic now. He had to find Elizabeth, make sure she was alright, protect her, hold her!

"…Elizabeth…?" Darcy quietly mumbled again. He stirred and produced another soft groan, and slowly opened his eyes to stare up at the dark ceiling above him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys. I am very sorry for the long delay with this last chapter...  
** **A close friend of mine suddenly passed away two weeks ago and after that I was hit with an eye-infection which made that I could not see quite a lot for about another 5 days...  
** **All is getting better now, so I finally found the opportunity to post this final chapter to this story. I hope you will enjoy it. Thanks for the many favs, follows and reviews and for sticking with me throughout the story.  
** **Have fun with this last chapter and, still, all reviews are highly appreciated! ;-)**

* * *

It was dark when Darcy opened his eyes, but it only took him a few seconds to recognize the decorated ceilings of Rosings estate. Even in the dark they were unmistakeable.  
The dreamlike memories of the events on the Hingham Bridge were still burned into his mind's eye. He was convinced that what he had just relived was what had actually happened there.

Darcy blinked sluggishly a few times, for his eyes felt heavy from the lack of use. He was aching at several points on his body. Especially the ribs on the left side of his body were causing him considerable pain.  
Clearly he had been unconscious for a while, since he had no memories between the bridge and waking up here at Rosings. How had he gotten here? Were the others alright? Who had been taking care of him?  
He carefully rolled his head to the side to face the window. The moon was just visible through a small sliver of the closed curtains. The sky was completely black, meaning it was the middle of the night.

Darcy's eye fell on the armchair next to the bed, in which no one sat right now. However, the book that lay on the nightstand told him that someone had been with him until quite recently. He could just make out the title of the book, something on Chinese warfare, and he could already guess quite accurately who had been sitting with him and probably also who had been taking care of him.

"…Elizabeth". The words escaped Darcy's lips without him really meaning to.  
He was startled by something suddenly stirring at the end of the bed, near his feet. Darcy carefully lifted his head a few inches off the pillow to look at what had moved. Moving his head hurt him quite a lot, but he had to see who, or what, was there. He craned his neck and lifted his head up as far as it would go in his current state.

There, at the foot of the bed, he could just make out the shape of a person lying curled up on the bed covers.

Darcy could not help but smile a little as he lay his head back down on the pillow. He had not actually seen her face, but he was sure it was Elizabeth sleeping at the foot of his bed.  
"Miss Bennet?" he spoke to the ceiling, voice a little hoarser than usual. He took up his formal etiquette again now that he was addressing her.  
"Miss Bennet?" Darcy repeated when no response was given. He spoke softly, but his voice carried a long way in the otherwise quiet room.

Elizabeth stirred and groaned sleepily. She stretched slightly an appeared to be close to waking up.  
"I always thought we would have to be united as husband and wife before I could find you in my bed" Darcy spoke the words a little mockingly. The effect of the phrase, however, was instantaneous. Elizabeth wearily opened her eyes and looked straight at Darcy for just a moment. A split-second later she had hastily jumped up and now stood at the end of the bed, nervously smoothening her dress and avoiding to meet Darcy's gaze.

Darcy could not help but laugh at her. These kind of things were exactly why this woman had ever managed to catch his attention. His chuckle filled the room, but it was soon replaced by a wince in pain. The act of laughing was angering his injured ribs and collarbone.

"Are you alright?" Elizabeth forgot her nervousness and immediately rushed to his side.  
Darcy lay with the back of his head pressed into the pillow and his eyes firmly closed.  
"It's alright, the pain will pass" Elizabeth soothed and placed a comforting hand on Darcy's chest. His breathing felt a bit heavy and shaky beneath her hand.

It took him a few moments, but finally Darcy calmed down a bit again and opened his eyes. Those deep, brown eyes focussed on Elizabeth's face.  
"Hello" he said softly. A genuine smile spread across Elizabeth's face. The first real smile of hers in about a week time.  
"How are you feeling?" she asked quickly.  
"Not very well, I'm hurting quite a bit" Darcy answered sincerely.  
"Well, according to the physician you fractured a few ribs and your collarbone. And you have a nasty head-wound" Elizabeth said.  
"Is that all?" Darcy commented sarcastically. Elizabeth chuckled softly at him and took up her seat in the armchair next to the bed.

"You still have not answered my question?" Darcy spoke after a few moments of silence.  
"Uhm…" Elizabeth was not sure what he meant.  
"That I always believed we had to be married before I could find you in my bed?" Darcy said. Even though he spoke seriously, there was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.  
"I… I didn't mean to…" Elizabeth stammered. She fell silent when Darcy smiled silently at her and she knew that he was not truly expecting an answer.

"I need to confess something to you" Darcy suddenly said, changing the subject altogether.  
Elizabeth looked wonderingly at him through the darkness. She could see that he was avoiding her gaze and that he was clearly struggling to find the right words to say.

"I…" Darcy slowly began, "I realize that you made your feelings towards me very clear the last time I expressed mine to you, but I do feel I have to give it one last try. If you feel, at any point, that I am crossing the line, then please stop me and I will leave the matter be for all time".  
Elizabeth slowly nodded. "Please go on" she whispered.  
"I cannot say that my feelings were not hurt after your rejection" Darcy continued a little more confident, "still I realized that my feelings towards you had only strengthened after that. I became aware that I could no longer imagine my future without you. Every thought I ever spent in these last few months about how my life would go further, you were always there by my side".

Elizabeth swallowed hard, for these words meant something to her. Last time he had confessed some of his feelings to her she had indeed remorselessly beaten him down, both physically and verbally. Now that had changed. She listened to him in silence, knowing that every word he spoke was answered by her feelings for him as well.

"I believed I was being foolish in my persistent feelings for you, but when I heard your words on the Hingham Bridge…" Darcy still spoke without looking at Elizabeth.  
"Wait, what?" Elizabeth suddenly realized what he had said, "you… you heard me?"  
Finally Darcy shifted his eyes to her face. "I did" he answered, "and it gave me hope".  
"Hope?" Elizabeth said a little taken aback, "hope for what?"  
"That your feelings towards me may have changed" Darcy's eyes never wavered from her face, clearly eager to see her reaction, "but one word from you now will silence me on the subject forever".

Elizabeth felt herself involuntarily gasp for a small breath. She quickly closed her mouth to prevent herself from making a sound which Darcy could mistake as a sign from her to stop.  
Darcy gave her small smile before taking a few deep breaths. He was clearly nervous now and preparing himself for what he was about to say.  
"You…" he hesitated for a moment, "you are the love of my life Elizabeth Bennet".

This time Elizabeth did audibly gasp for breath. Was this the moment she had secretly dreamed about since she was a little girl? The moment that the man she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with, would declare his love to her as well and ask her to be his wife?  
She looked deep into Darcy's intriguing, brown eyes and saw the truthfulness of his words reflected there. She gave him the slightest of nods to permit him to go on.

Now Darcy appeared truly nervous.  
"Will you do me the great, great honour…. of taking me for your husband?" His cautious gaze towards Elizabeth was one of pure anguish, clearly fearing that she would yet again turn him down.

Gradually a wide smile spread across Elizabeth's face as the full meaning of the words sank into her.  
"Yes" she said, barely able to contain her excitement now.  
She quickly jumped up from her chair, fell to her knees beside the bed and kissed Darcy long and lovingly on the lips. A kiss, she was glad to realize, that was being answered wholeheartedly.

Suddenly Darcy pulled away from her with a wince.  
"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked quickly.  
"You were leaning on my ribs" Darcy answered with a little smile.  
"Oh God, I am so sorry!" Elizabeth exclaimed, "are you alright?"  
"Of course" he said softly, "with you around I will always be alright". Together they laughed quietly about it.

Elizabeth now knew that all would be alright. Darcy would heal from his wounds eventually and they would get married. The thought alone filled her with complete and utter happiness.

"Elizabeth?" Darcy's voice reached her ears. Apparently she had been lost in thought and staring into empty space. "Is something wrong?"  
"No" Elizabeth answered quickly, "it's all just a bit overwhelming. But in a good way. A very good way".  
Darcy's hand reached out to hers and she took it without hesitation. It felt warm and comforting, a feeling she could get used to.  
"I love you" Darcy said.  
"I love you too" Elizabeth answered.


End file.
